Black-Beak
by Bhrrrrr
Summary: Laura moves to Portland for adventure. She finds trouble - and a Grimm. Is he just a threat to her fellow wesen, or a potential ally?
1. Swamp-skull and Pink-nose

1. Swamp-skull and Pink-nose

"Your coffee."

"Thank you." The cashier was cute but looked a bit stressed. I didn't blame him for it, it was only natural and I would have been stressed too if I had his job. I paid for my mug and found an empty seat by a window where I could sit. McDonalds was the only place I could find that served coffee in the evening so I'd decided to endure the screaming kids to get some caffeine into my system. The lighting was annoyingly bright and the heavy fumes from the fryers did not help to make me feel comfortable. I took a sip from my mug and wondered how people could call that liquid coffee when it was this tasteless. I missed the stronger stuff back in Sweden and wondered if I would have to make all my coffee myself from now on.

My first day in Portland had been surprisingly uneventful. I had so far gone off the plane, checked into my hotel, investigated some graffiti I had found in an alley and written a page for my latest novel. I had shared my lunch with a homeless man who'd been preaching about death (he had appeared intelligent but rather manic), longingly stared through the window of a jewelers shop but not dared to enter (my fingers were itchy and I didn't want to get arrested without doing something that was worth it) and read about upcoming events in town. The Asian circus three days from now sounded tempting, there ought to be at least some wesen there I could… speak to. Hopefully no one dangerous though, I could use a soft start.

I had heard Oregon was supposed to inhabit more wesen than usual. Maybe that had contributed to Portland's slogan "Keep Portland weird", but so far I had not seen anyone woge since I left Stockholm and I was beginning to worry that I had been misinformed.

Wow, I thought, if someone read my mind right now I would sound really suspicious. They could even assume I was a Grimm. Normal wesen don't think like that. Someone would perhaps freak out. That'd be embarrassing. And I would probably get myself killed. That'd be bad for my reputation. I had read Orwell's "1984" though, so I knew about the negative effects of the "thought crime"-thing and decided to ignore my concern let myself think whatever I wanted.

I started to plan out what I should do next now that I was becoming more relaxed in my new home. Most people would probably need at least a month to get their affairs straight when moving to another country as unprepared as I was, but then most people weren't as adaptable as me. I wondered if I could break a record of some sort if I felt like I'd always lived in Portland when I woke up tomorrow. Of course, for that to happen I'd have to work immediatly.

I knew little about my new surroundings and needed to track down potential threats and get them under control as soon as possible. It was required if I was to succeed in my life and the sooner I started to clean up the mess the better. It would be a first option but perhaps risky to seek help among my own kind. Some could be willing to teach me valuable lessons obout this city but others could see me as a rival and dump my body in a river to get rid of me after letting someone chew on my neck. I should probably keep a low profile when seeking information if I wanted to stay alive.

I looked out in the street while finishing my "coffee". It was getting rather dark and the stream of people walking in and out of McDonalds was drying up. Out in the street the traffic flowed smoother and the shadier kind blended out among the regular late shoppers, partygoers and tourists. Two people that caught my eye met on the other side of the road and exchanged a few words. I monitored them with moderate interest. The bigger of the two, a bald and heavily tattooed man seemed to irritate the smaller one, a skinny-looking woman to the point where she turned away from him and almost left. Before she changed her mind and turned back I saw her face change. This intrigued me. She was a Reinigen. That would do just fine. Not that I was overly fond of their kind, but Reinigen often had quite a fighter spirit that could come in use. This one who didn't look too happy with her situation could be interested in getting some help with her... friend? Maybe I could get her to help me if I helped her. People were usually grateful to nice strangers.

I silently complained about Americas apparent lack of interest for recycling when I threw away my paper mug before exiting out into the street. The woman looked human again and the pair continued their argument. They seemed to be breaking up though as I persued them while trying not to get hit by a car. I concentrated to hear what they were talking about.

"I'm telling you again, if you don't like the price I won't sell anything. I'm the only one you know who sells this stuff so you better accept it", the man said.

"Fuck off", the woman spat out. Her voice was rather hoarse, but by the look of her it wasn't only cigaretts that had put it in that state. Good. Junkies were easier to deal with than other people, you always knew something they wanted. I was just a few meters from them now, ready to break up their fight and take all the credit for saving the woman. The man was nearly two meters tall and wide enough to pass for a Rococo-style painting with all flowers and vines on the visible parts of his skin. The ink was old and the colors had partly merged, giving it all a soggy, swamp-like feel.

"Oh yeah? You are brave to say that to my face." The man also woged. _Shit_, I thought and quickly picked up my phone, pretending to answer it while I passed them. Either the Skalengecken I'd previously encountered was total softies or this dealer was a Skalenzahne. Or something liked that. Thick scales. Lots of teeth, huge and asymmetrical. I tried not to look at him; I didn't want to trigger an unintentional woge out of fear. Judging by his body size I estimated he would not need more than a minute to beat me unconscious and pluck me like a goose and I did not want to give him a reason to try.

I stopped walking when I rounded the nearest block and put my phone away, leaning against the building. My heart was racing but I could not hold back a little smile. This slow day had suddenly turned very intense and I loved it. I wasn't in danger. I had nothing to do with the two people I had left behind me and could easily walk away without it ever bothering me again. But I wouldn't. I had started this now, it was exciting and I was going to finish it one way or another.

Just as I was about to look around the corner to see if they both were still there, the woman passed the very same corner and bumped into me.

"Watch it", she warned without looking at me.

"Sorry!"

She shook her head and continued. I quickly made sure the man wasn't following her and went after her. Sink or swim; this was it.

The woman's hair had a ratty color. Fitting, I thought and summoned up all rodent related puns I could think of. The woman slipped into an empty alley and when I entered after her I called out:

"Oi! Don't you run off like that with your naked tail between your legs!" The woman, who had just lit a cigarette almost tripped over her feet and turned around.

"What?" Oh, she had heard exactly right.

"You look like you've just escaped from a laboratory!" I took a step forward. This was so offensive to her. I smiled.

"Are you talking to me?" She took two steps forward. Well duh, who else?

"I think that you should be able to hear me with those big ears of yours." The woman seemed startled by this aggression, but not afraid. She took a hit and blew out the smoke through her nose.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to talk." I really, really liked this. My adrenaline was through the roof but I remained in my pose. The woman examined me and decided I wasn't a threat. She relaxed a little and rolled her eyes.

"I don't do talking", she said, clearly contradicting herself.

"The prices are too high, eh?" I said, referring to her fight earlier. She understood I had heard at least some of it.

"That's none of your business."

"But I'd like to make it my business. Treat yourself", I said, opening up my wallet,"in exchange for some info." I took out ten dollars. She looked suspicious.

"That's not much you know."

"I have several questions. I'm not a cop and you don't have to feel like a snitch for answering them." She took several seconds to think about it.

"Go ahead."

I considered my options. Should I start slowly? Ask for her name? No, she might not want to give out personal information and also; I don't need to know. Start by planting a greater reward than money on her radar by asking if Swamp-Skull from earlier was bothering her and if there'd be anything Icould do about it? No, not without getting my info first. I should go right at it.

"How many Grimms are there in the city?" The woman flinched. She had not been ready for this question. I hoped she would be cool about it and not freak out.

"... One, I've heard."

"Man or woman?"

"Man."

"Profession? You anything about that?"

"He... He's with the police."

"Oficially?" Perhaps he was just following them, leaving decapitated criminals behind him.

"He's a detective I think... working with murders, hey, I don't like these questions."

"But I've barely started!"

"Yeah, I don't even know who you are." I sighed and was about to reply "does it matter?", but decided not to. I knew she didn't want my name or adress. She wanted to know _what_ I was. Maybe I should've started with "What's your name."

"If this is what you wanted." I took a deep breath and woged. My jacket fit tight around my arms so it wasn't very comfortable and when the Reinigen had understood what I was I shook it off. She did unfortunately not look pleased.

"Now you know", I said, "Can we continue?"

"You're a fucking black-beak. Should've known."

"Hey! That's really offensive. And aren't those teeth big enough to block out such words?"

"Dirty thief." She spat on the ground. This was hilarious. I put away my wallet.

"Wheel-runner! Drain-diver! Pink-nose!"

"Do you want me to punch you?"

"Try biting. I know you can…"

The woman had had enough. She walked right up to me and raised her fist.

"But remember! You'll have to kill me to stop me from coming after you." The woman held herself back.

"You're new. You have no power here." She sounded unsure, so I ignored her.

"We wouldn't want a murder committed by a Reinigen to attract that detective you spoke of, would we?"

I could see the frustration written all over her face. She lowered her fist a little, unsure what to do with me. I smiled triumphantly but only had the time to open my mouth to speak again until she woged and punched me in the face.

"That's enough", she muttered. I barely heard her though, as my brain was running an emergency program to determine the damage she had done and I did not have the CPU performance for both carrying on a conversation and getting beaten at the same time. While trying to stop the blood coming out of my nose I could see the woman walking away from me. No, this wasn't right. One last try.

"No, no, no, don't leave; seriously, I can help you."

"I don't care." She kept walking. I supported weight by leaning against a wall. I could use the woman's prejudice against my kind in my favor. Yes, we were considered to be liars and thieves but we also had a reputation to get things done quickly and neatly.

"Give me 48 hours and I'll get you whatever you need from Mr. Ink-Scale." The woman slowed down her pace, interested. She was too sassy to show it clearly though.

"Anything I want?" What could she want? I could pickpocket him anytime, maybe even break into his stash and get some for this woman. Whatever she wanted.

"Yes." She paused for a second and looked me in the eye.

"I want him gone. Can you do that?"

Oh. This could be tricky, but rewarding if I succeed. I wanted to ask follow up questions to know why this was what she needed, but that could scare her off. This was going to require some intense planning. Also, did I have to kill him or just get him to stay away from this woman? Whatever. What did I have to lose?

"Deal. I am going to need your name to contact you when I'm done."

"Ask for Turi. They'll know me." Turi left me. Who'd know her? Should I just... come back here and search for anyone who might know who "Turi" was? I'd have to solve that problem.

I stayed around until the caffeine/adrenalin rush I was on was gone before I took a taxi back to my hotel. I had a single bed that wasn't very cosy but it had clean, white sheets that I spread out on. I felt a pleasant tingle in my stomach. I had my first contact in Portland. It was no one important, no one who would be of much use to me, but yet a contact. Turi the Reinigen would be the first of many, unless I screwed up and needed to move. Again. My parents would not be pleased to hear that I had failed. They wouldn't be very pleased if I my dreams came true either, they wanted me to give up my Falschdieb hopes and dreams and only concentrate on my writing career. I did enjoy writing and was unusually talented but it could become boring from time to time. I wanted at least some excitement in my life and if it meant I would get into trouble once or twice or… all the time… that would be a prize I'd be ready to pay. I took a shower to cleanse my mind and went to sleep. I had plans for the morning.


	2. Venomica and a headdress full of lies

2. Venomica and a headdress full of lies

I felt well rested when I woke up in the morning. I concidered just forgetting about Turi and move on; she didn't have that much potential as a contact and the prize for her friendship was high, but I really wanted to continue down this line, even if just for practice.

I was not experienced with murder. I had never even been close to killing someone. I was not very strong. I did not know karate or any other martial art and the few hands on fights I'd been in as a kid had usually ended with me losing. Fire arms should be easier to come by here than in Sweden but a shooting would be a risk, the police would be there in no time and I was not ready to deal with that Grimm Turi said worked for them. If I was to get someone else to kill Swamp-skull for me it'd have to be someone I really trust would not just betray me, and since I did not have any close contacts in the entire country and it would take time for me to build up that kind of relationship I did not consider it a viable option.

I did have a questionably vast knowledge about poison I possibly could use that I had gathered during a weird phase in my childhood. The guy was a dealer, meaning it wouldn't cause much suspicion if he died of what would look like an overdose. It would be preferable to use his own stuff to really make it look like accidental suicide but I was not sure he sold substances that were dangerous for him. I knew Skalengecken had high resistance against a lot of different toxins so maybe it was the same with Skalenzahnen. They were quite similar. Botulinum toxin was a reliable poison that worked quickly and would not be a suspected cause of death if the victim was not a user of Botox but it was expensive and hard to come by in deadly doses. Was Turi really worth the effort?

Possibly, I could "give him an offer he could not refuse" and make him leave town. Probably that'd be a very bad idea to try out. He was a tough guy and I was just some woman who talks too much. I should wait with the blackmailing until I actually had something to threaten people with.

There was a third option.

I could frame Swamp-skull for a crime and get the police to lock him away. That could work. Maybe I didn't even have to frame him, just prove the crimes he'd committed. I needed to get close to him either way so I decided I would go searching for clues about him sometime today, but for the moment my first priority was to get breakfast.

There were many people in the streets today, the mild spring weather filled many hearts with a lust for shopping. I saw the regular workers and shoppers whose type I recognized from Stockholm but also the famous Portland hipsters who up close weren't as magical as the legends foretold.

I walked quite far until the grumbles in my stomach were greater than my will to save my money from the expensive cafés and stayed at a cute little place where I could sit outside. It was rather empty and I thought it could become a favorite place of mine if it was always this peaceful. I bought my food and sat down, closing my eyes to bathe in the sun. It was lovely.

"Hello? Excuse me?" A male voice asked for my attention. I opened my eyes and saw a rather good-looking man holding a sandwich and a cup. He smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

This guy looked like he was looking at a girl who was way hotter than me. I was flattered of course but not interested and decided I could just play a flirting game for fun.

"No, no I was just enjoying the weather." I adjusted my clothing and smiled back.

"Can I sit here?" There was a second chair at my table.

"Oh! Of course, no problem." The man sat down.

"The coffee here is good. Stronger than usually."

"Really? That's good to hear. I'm new." I bent forward a little bit and winked way too many times to show submission. Hopefully he was into that.

"I can hear that in your accent. How long are you staying?" I shook my shoulders and took a sip of my coffee. It was quite good.

"I'm not planning on leaving if I put it that way."

"Oh. Good!" I frowned.

"Good because… Portland needs immigrants to fill all houses?"

"No, maybe, I mean it's a nice city."

"I hope so." He was so awkward I suspected he was only acting to seem cute. His blue eyes were piercing mine through his fringe. Were we both just playing?

"So… What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Laura", I said. I didn't have to give out false information so I decided to stick to the truth.

"I'm Anton. It's nice to meet you."

I acted shy and pulled my hair out of my face.

"So what are you doing here then?"

I was just about to answer that I was a writer looking for inspiration when a barista who'd just come out to clean the tables saw Anton. The barista hit the table she was closest to with her fist, making a loud sound that caught Anton's attention. Anton looked up, startled. I was also surprised, unsure what was going on and how I should handle the situation. They stared at each other for an intense moment; the barista boiling with rage and Anton embarrassed.

"Oh… You work on Thursdays?" Anton smiled nervously.

"Leave." The barista's voice was sharp and commanding. Anton stood up and looked at me but I was clearly not his number one priority anymore.

"See you around, Laura." He winked at me and left, looking over his shoulder at the barista who was still staring him down.

"Uh, excuse me but… What's going on?" I asked the barista who was slowly calming down.

"You probably shouldn't drink that", the barista said, finally turning to me and nodding towards my coffee. I had already had some.

"Who not?"

"He could have put something in it. I know him."

"Oh." He had definitely been acting then. This wasn't good.

"Do you think he drugged me?"

"Maybe. Give it to me." Why would one want to drug someone in broad daylight? Was I feeling nauseous? Did I see more colors than usually? Should I get help? I gave my mug to the barista who sniffed it, frowned poured it out on the ground.

"Yeah, that's not good."

"If this is some bad joke I'm not the one to-"

"I have some experience with this venom so you'll just have to trust me on this one, girl", the barista interrupted.

"Venom?" My voice was a little higher pitched than I wanted it to be.

"Please don't freak out." That's easy for her to say.

"Shouldn't I call someone? Like a doctor? Maybe the police?" The barista seemed conflicted but eventually made up her mind.

"Nah. I've dealt with this before. Hang on. I'll give you an address." She got a pen out and scribbled something on my napkin.

"Go there, it's a spice shop but they've got other things as well. Say you were poisoned with Falsch-Feder Gift. I better write the name of that down too, I guess." She reached for my napkin again but I put a finger on it, holding it down and looked up at the barista. There was no way this was a coincidence.

"Hang on. Falsch-Feder Gift?" The barista raised an eyebrow.

"You know what it is?" I was about to get upset about that I had become upset for no reason. I didn't want to risk sounding really angry at the innocent barista so I just woged and showed her what I meant. As a Falschdieb I knew every aspect of Falsch-Feder, false-feather. I had lots of that kind of feathers and their chemical effects in potions and poisons could not harm me in any way.

"Ooooh", she said, "I guess you're lucky then." That wasn't a bad reaction. She was as obviously not as prejudiced as Turi. I shook my frustration off and sighed.

"Thanks for trying to save me and all but I think you owe me a coffee."

The barista grinned and pulled her hand through her short afro. She seemed relieved and was probably a nice person but it disturbed me that she hadn't woged as well to even the odds and show respect. Maybe she wasn't even wesen and just happened to know more things about the world than everyone else, like my mother. Either way I felt I wanted to know more.

"Haha, I can get you a refill, no problem."

She noticed my face and particularly my eyes, hinting that she had forgot to tell me something.

"Oh", she said when she understood what I meant, "you don't want to know. You don't even want to know how much time and money I've spent on yoga-classes to keep myself in check. It's pretty bad."

"Aha. Envious I guess?" I asked, a little dissatisfied.

"Kind of, yeah."

"I bet you don't have to hide from people who want to flay you alive and sell parts of you as a love potions."

"That's true. Hey, I need to get back to work now. And stay away from Anton, will you?"

I suddenly got an idea. This could work. It could at least be fun to try.

"Hey, you wouldn't be interested in a job I have for you tonight?"

"Eh, it depends on what kind of job it is."

"If done right, it could pay off way more than this one."

"It's illegal, isn't it?" She did not sound like someone who got kicks from breaking the law.

"Not… Really… I think. Maybe. I don't plan on hurting anyone anyway." I could use a few more minutes deciding the details of the plan.

"Fair enough. Meet me here in five hours and we'll talk." That went well.

"Deal. What's your name?"

"Veronica."

I kept the napkin Veronica had written on. Via the address I asked my way to the tiny spice shop. I'd never been to a spice shop before but it at least it smelled better than I imagined. When I opened the door a bell chimed. The walls were cluttered with books, bottles and boxes on shelves. There were herbs hanging from the ceiling and despite the lack of space to move around in the shop felt homely and safe. A young woman showed up from behind a drape covering a second room.

"Hello. How can I help you?" She appeared friendly and smiled, though she kept a distance and walked up to the counter.

"I... need to know if you have a... something", I said.

"Well of course. What is it you need?"

"How... how big is your stock of Falsch-Federn?" Good thing I chose to learn german in school instead of spanish. The brunette at the counter looked suspicious of my request but remained professional. I knew it wasn't the most common thing to find in a spice shop but the circumstances made me think she had some.

"That depends, do you want them pulverized or in their original condition?" Did this mean she had both?

"I'm mostly after intact goods."

"In that case... I might have some. Give me a moment." She hurried back into the second room and I heard her open several drawers. Finally she came out with an object that was both one of the most beautiful and most repulsive things I'd ever seen.

It was an ancient-looking indian headdress with lots and lots of black and white feathers. The ribbon holding it all together was deep red and reminded me of old blood. This was not like a Lausenschlange seeing a pair of snake skin boots, these feathers were from people I somewhere deep down were related to. It was a symbol for the vicious hunting exerted upon my kind. It was a gorgeous headdress, but I wished it didn't exist. There was no way I was going to let it continue existing.

"It's old, but I assure you it's in perfect condition."

"Can I have a look at it?" I reached out my hands and had the thing carefully handed to me. After examing it, estimating the feathers came from at least five people, I looked up at the woman and shook my head.

"I'm afraid I can't let you keep this one. Sorry." The woman frowned.

"Why, what do you mean?"

"I'm taking it. And if you have any of the pulverized stuff or so I suggest you get rid of it fast because when I return I'm not sure I can control my behaviour if I see another sign of you selling the remains of slaghtered innocents."

Speechless the woman watched while I turned to the door and began to leave. Just when I opened the door I decided to say one last thing just in case.

"Oh and if you call the police you won't only have to deal with me, but also the special someone who gave me the address. I know she has quite a temper."

I smiled, spat on the ground and left the spice shop.


End file.
